If You Could
by Hail the Wolves
Summary: If you could, would you? IchiRuki oneshot. Rated T for very minor swearing.


It is official. I am addicted to one-shots. So this is the official first piece of 2009! Woot! I'm so happy, I'm turning sixteen in about a week, and I'll finally be able to start to learn how to drive a car. I don't know why they would trust me with heavy machinery, but that's beside the point. This idea popped into my head last night, and I decided since I'll be trapped in the car for ten hours, why not? Well, I'm rambling. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I need to think of this more often. I do not own Bleach. If I did, Ichigo and Rukia would be happily married, Orihime would be institutionalized, and Uryuu would admit that he is bi.

If You Could…

It was a slow day for hollow killing. Ichigo and Rukia were currently on patrol, perched atop a building to watch for any stray hollows, just in case. It was school break, and being bored out of their minds, had decided to actually go outside and wait for the hollows. Unfortunately, the bastards had decided they wanted to rest tonight.

They sat back to back, eyeing the town, one pair of eyes scrutinizing and the other pair bored to no possible end. Rukia scanned, breaking up each section in her view. Ichigo, on the other hand, skimmed the area, looking back and forth every ten seconds.

"Agh!" Ichigo growled, holding his head and in exasperation. "Why is it, that the one night we don't have something to do, there are absolutely no frickin' hollows?!" He ruffled his hair with his own hands, angered at the lack of activity.

Rukia sighed. She was also very, _very_ annoyed at not being able to do anything, but you didn't hear her complaining. Not wanting to listen to him complain all night long, she decided to play a little game with him.

"Ichigo, how about we play a game, just to pass the time?" She glanced over her shoulder, trying to look at his reaction.

She heard him sigh, and lean his back against hers. "There's nothing better to do. What do you have in mind?"

She smiled, happy that he hadn't argued. "It's called If You Could. Orihime told me about it in school today. What you do is ask If you could, would you… or which, or what, or anything like that. Ready? I'll start," She looked out to the city, pondering on what to ask him. "If you could transform into any one animal, what would it be?"

She watched him think about the question. "Hm… probably a tiger."

She smirked not missing an opportunity to make fun of him. "Why? Because of its orange coat?"

She saw his scowl deepen and almost laughed in success. "No. Because they're extremely powerful animals, and they always protect their young."

"Oh," She was slightly startled by his quick response but brushed it off. "Okay, it's your turn."

Ichigo thought about what he wanted her to answer. "Alright… If you could, which country would you go to?"

"France," She answered immediately. "I want to go to Paris and see all the museums. There's so much beautiful artwork there."

He smirked at her answer. Of course the "aspiring artist" would want to go there.

"Let's see… If you could, would you give up your Shinigami powers to live a normal life?"

Ichigo looked at Rukia liked she had grown a second head. "Of course not midget! Why would you even ask that question?!"

She shrugged her shoulders, not committing to anything. But inside, she felt something in her chest soar. It was something that plagued her mind constantly, worrying about if he sometimes hated the job she had forced on him.

"Whatever. It's my turn now," She watched the wheels in his mind turn, thinking of something to ask her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the corners of his lips pull up. But it wasn't towards the usual smirk. This one was a little more… sheepish.

"If you could, would you kiss me right now?"

His question got her off-guard. Kiss him? Did he really just ask her that? She now knew how much a kiss meant in this world; it was more than just a sign of greeting, it was something special, only exchanged between those closest to you, like family or a lover. Did this mean Ichigo liked her? Did he actually harbor deeper feelings than just partner and friend? Rukia knew that she had felt that way for some time now. She felt a clench in her heart, she became lightheaded, and she knew her face always lightened up at the sight of him just entering a room. Could it be…?

Ichigo waited anxiously for her answer. Was it too soon to ask? Did she not feel that way about him? He had been studying her very closely, watching her while he was around, and then the moments when she believed he wasn't. Rukia seemed to react the same ways he did when she was around. But he couldn't be certain…

"It's alright if you don't want to answer. Well, we should probably get home. The sun is going to come up soon, and I'm kinda tired," Ichigo made to get up, a subtle blush staining his cheeks.

"Ichigo," he turned at the call of his name and the tiny hand resting on his shoulder. He was about to ask what, when all of a sudden he felt two petals flutter across his lips. After a second of realization, he was stunned to find that yes; Rukia Kuchiki was in fact _kissing_ him. Her lips moved gently with his. Both of them were unpracticed and new at this, but Ichigo was sure of one thing as one of his greatest fantasies came true.

He was glad he played this stupid game.

~?~?~?~?~

Yay! Well, this was supposed to be out yesterday, but since I had no internet connection, that didn't work out so well. ^^;. But Happy New Year to those that celebrate at this time of year, Happy Belated New Year to those of different religions, and an early Happy New Year to those that observe the Chinese New Year. I wish you a safe and happy holiday!


End file.
